Mr. Andy StewartTo ask the Minister for the Civil Service if there are any proposals to change the 1989–90 cash limit for the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service.
§ Mr. LuceSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service (class XX, vote 1) will be increased by £1,370,000 from £33,819,000 to £35,189,000. The increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
The increase is required to cover the additional cost of making physical security improvements to the Downing street complex and other buildings; the cost of further refurbishment and maintenance in 10 Downing street (this cost is partially offset by appropriations in aid from the Property Services Agency); the cost of expanding the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel as recommended in Sir Robert Andrew's review of the Government legal services; and the initial cost of improving the accommodation at the Civil Service college, Sunningdale park. The supplementary estimate also includes a transfer of provision between the Central Office of Information and the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service to reflect the transfer of responsibility for the information officers management unit to the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service along with an increase in provision to cover the cost of expanding the unit. In addition the supplementary estimate takes account of a reduction in provision as a result of transferring responsibility for conducting language allowance examinations to the Home Office and a reclassification of certain receipts.
Some of the increases have a consequent effect on the Department's running costs limit which will increase by £898,000 from £30,350,000 to £31,248,000.